Males Inhabiting in Dark are More Preferred by Females for Sexual Pairing in Japanese Quail: Evidence from Ptilochronology

Sexual pairing decisions in Japanese Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were assumed to be dependent on the overall nutritional condition of a bird. This could be evaluated by a tool called ptilochronology. Males were reared in different photoperiod regimes, other parameters such as ambient temperature, quality and quantity of food remained constant. Sexual selection experiments were conducted and rectrices were plucked for ptilochronology study. Results revealed that females preferred to pair with the males reared in longer dark duration.